19 August, 2014

Who Moved The Finish Line?

How many times have you heard (or said) "the quilting's done, all I need to do is bind it." For me, I always have to remind myself that having the quilting done is simply one more step toward finishing... you'd think that I would know enough to understand that the finish line is still some distance away, but I continue to be delusional, even after all these years! After quilting come the following six steps, and they're all important:

1. trimming/squaring up the quilt

2. cutting/joining the binding strips (and making piping, as I did in the case of this quilt, Swiss Baskets, as shown)

3. making the hanging sleeve (I always make a sleeve, even if it's to be used as a bed quilt; we have no idea how our quilts might be used/displayed in the future. I make the sleeve almost invisible by constructing it from leftover backing fabric) and attaching that to the top of the quilt before adding binding

4. creating the label (be sure to add pertinent information, such as the quilt's name, the recipient's name and occasion if that applies; your name, location and the date completed

5. applying the binding by machine

6. hand stitching the binding into place (and the bottom/sides of the sleeve)

This handkerchief was a gift from Quiltkeemosabe and will become this quilt's label, it fits the theme perfectly! I plan to add all of the information to it (as mentioned above) with my embroidery machine. So, the next time you think (along with me) "who moved the finish line?" keep in mind that every step toward finishing gives all your hard work up to this point (the planning, the shopping, the piecing/applique and, finally, the quilting) even more value. You'll be even happier with your final result if you check off each step as you go from the "finishing list", I know that I always am; and then, at long last, that elusive finish line comes into view and becomes a very welcome sight!

Too true, the quilting is not the end of the project! I never put sleeves on my quilts but that's a good thing to do, I agree. Labels are another failing. But I nearly always make the binding mid quilt, usually when I have become stuck somewhere, and often to delay the quilting portion of the project :) I made a magic binding to get that flange effect. So fun!